Google prize aims to spur corporate race to moon

With NASA, Google Expands Its Realm to the Moon and Mars

Google to sponsor space race to moon

It's joining the X Prize Foundation to back a $30-million contest to land unmanned lunar rovers for exploration.

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO -- -- Lunar exploration has a corporate benefactor: Google Inc.

The Internet search giant hopes to fuel a new technological revolution by sponsoring the Google Lunar X Prize, which would award as much as $30 million in prizes for landing unmanned rovers on the moon and having them perform certain tasks.

Before Google held its initial public offering in August 2004, its founders cautioned that they were not running "a conventional company." Spending corporate earnings on moon missions puts that pledge to the test.

But that philosophy has carried Google investors on a rocket-ship ride of their own -- those who bought IPO shares have since seen their holdings rise 517%. (Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/)

Google Backs Moon Challenge
Millions Are Offered for Privately Funded Lunar Probes

By Alicia Chang
Associated Press
Friday, September 14, 2007; Page D02

Google will pay as much as $25 million to the first private company that lands a robotic rover on the moon and sends a gigabyte of images to Earth, the Internet search company said yesterday.

The winner would be the first nongovernmental entity to send a probe to the moon and would boost the emerging private spaceflight industry.

The X Prize Foundation will run the moon challenge, which is open to companies worldwide. The nonprofit institute, based in Santa Monica, Calif., is best known for hosting the Ansari X Prize contest, which led to the first manned private spaceflight in 2004. (Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/)

Google to Finance Moon Challenge Contest

By ALICIA CHANG – 9 hours ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google Inc. is bankrolling a $30 million contest that could significantly boost the commercial space industry and spur the first non-governmental flight to the moon.

Call it Moon 2.0. The bulk of the prize will go to the first private company that can land a robotic rover on the moon and beam back a gigabyte of images and video to Earth, the Internet search leader said Thursday.

Google partnered with the X Prize Foundation for the moon challenge, which is open to companies around the world. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit prize institute is best known for hosting the Ansari X Prize contest, which led to the first manned private spaceflight in 2004.

The Google Lunar X Prize joins another prize already dangling in front of potential competitors: $50 million that hotel magnate Robert Bigelow is offering the first private American team to rocket a manned craft into orbit by 2010. (Source: http://ap.google.com/)